Back in the conference final for the first time since their sweeping blow suffered in 2015 by Cleveland (4-0), Atlanta was reassured from the start by winning the first game against Milwaukee (113-116) on Thursday. The Hawks withstood the onslaught of the Bucks counting on a great Trae Young.
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Prior to that, contributions from Clint Capela (12 points, 19 rebounds) and a scathing three point from John Collins to come back to 111-110 two minutes from time kept Atlanta afloat. The inside two took 35 of their team’s 39 rebounds in total and deprived Milwaukee of significant offensive rebounds.
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Milwaukee weighed down by the clumsiness of Khris Middleton
The Bucks didn’t miss out on their game. The performances of Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists) or Jrue Holiday (33 points, 10 assists) are there to remind. But, like Atlanta, Milwaukee fell behind by three points with just 8 converted baskets in 36 attempts. At the center of this overall awkwardness, Khris Middleton appears as the weak link in his team in this first match. With 15 points at 26% success including a 0/9 behind the arc, the rear could not follow the effectiveness of its leader and the “Greek Freak”. One of the keys to losing the Bucks is certainly here.
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But with less than two minutes to go, Milwaukee still led by four points despite Middleton’s clumsiness. Without managing to contain Trae Young, Mike Budenholzer’s men never escaped for the first game of the series (maximum lead of 9 points) and failed to keep their precious lead at the end of the game.
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